Employer Spotlight: LiveCA

Become a CPA: Describe the corporate culture at LiveCA LLP in five words or less.LiveCA: Lean on anyone, anytime.

Become a CPA: What, in your view, is the single coolest thing about working at LiveCA LLP?LiveCA: No commute.

Become a CPA: Tell me why a student should consider working at LiveCA LLP.LiveCA: We believe working with your accountant shouldn’t be confined to traditional in-person meetings while delivering services using traditional desktop-based software. We believe technical innovation and responsiveness are at the core of what a firm of the future should be, and we’re committed to delivering a memorable experience for every customer that walks through our virtual door.

Prospective students are typically attracted to LiveCA because they’re uncomfortable with the notion of doing the same thing over and over again and they like the idea of working virtually wherever they may be.

Become a CPA: What kind of experience would a student acquire working at LiveCA LLP that they may not get elsewhere?LiveCA: Every CPA student follows a path to become a manager who will be in charge of 50-125 corporate clients (similar to a partner in a traditional firm). By the end of their third month they’ll be responsible for the entire bookkeeping and accounting functions for multiple clients. This will include training on web-based tools such as accounting, payment, job management and payroll systems.

Become a CPA: What is something fun your company has done in the past 12 months?LiveCA: We met each other (some for the first time) camping in Algonquin Park in Ontario in July 2014. We flew everyone in that was from out of province and completed a retreat that resulted in some pretty cool changes to our firm’s policies, procedures, and strategy going forward. Although it doesn’t sound that fun on the surface, we all had a blast.

Become a CPA: Give me five qualities you look for in a student interested in working for LiveCA LLP.LiveCA: Resourceful, friendly, humble, experimental, and honest.

Become a CPA: Where do you see LiveCA LLP in five years?LiveCA: Although it’s tough to even predict one year ahead, in five years we hope to still be experimenting and challenging the status quo of how traditional firms are run. We won’t bill by the hour, we’ll continue to exceed our customers’ expectations, and we’ll have a virtual workforce all across Canada.

Become a CPA: If you could give students a glimpse into their future, what’s one thing you would tell them about what’s great about being a professional accountant?LiveCA: CHOICE. As a professional accountant, the skills you learn in school and on the job can provide for so many opportunities. My designation opened the door to spend four years in the Caribbean, while my business partner was able to spend some time in Europe. One thing that’s not so great…everyone assumes you’re a math whiz and can calculate everything in your head.